A Strange Office Romance
by BlueFireIce
Summary: These are the stories of the everyday life of our unlikely couple, Lin Koujo and Taniyama Mai, and about all of the trials and tribulations that a couple must go through to stay together. Rating is subject to change
1. Dancing in the Office

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

**A/N:** I wrote this while on a trip. I know this is probably very short but I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you'll enjoy reading it.

:::::::::

In the most intimate times of people, we can easily see their souls. Their true form takes place and just for a moment they are free. Free from the roles that society places upon them and free to show their inhibitions. But even when you know a person, you don't truly know them until you witness them alone. And when you are granted the pleasure of a sight as private as that, you learn to expect the unexpected.

The office was as quiet as a whisper. Air conditioning was blowing softly as typing sounded. The culprit of the typing was none other than Lin, Koujo. Naru had left the office and Mai had yet to come in.

Lin paused in his typing, assessing that Naru had left completely and that the office was bare of all of it occupants except for him. When the Chinese man was sure that no one was coming in, he quickly typed something up onto his computer. Then he stood from his sitting position and leaned down to click a few more times with his mouse.

Mai yawned and glanced at her alarm clock. It blinked the red numbers 8:12am at her. She wasn't due for work until 9:00am, so she took her time with things. The brunette stretched and rubbed her eyes before sliding out of the bed. Her morning shower had taken much less time than usual, so the teenager had some time to spare before work. But, figuring Naru might appreciate her heading to work instead of dawdling, she headed to work.

The walk had been uneventful but Mai was now standing outside of S.P.R.'s office door, trying to determine just what the noise coming from inside was. It was rather muffled and quite unexpected because the office was usually silent whenever she went inside of it. Finally giving up on detecting the muffled sound, the young woman quietly opened and shut the door.

Quickly Mai had concluded that the noise was a no-lyric soft music. It was a comforting sound and she couldn't resist moving toward it. With tiptoed feet, the brunette surprisingly found the music to be coming from her coworker's office. Peeking inside, Mai was shocking to see the Chinese man dancing with his arms on an invisible dancing partner while his eyes were closed.

The teen watched the older man and set her things down quietly beside his door. It only took her a minute of watching to figure out the pattern of his steps. With swiftness, Mai stepped into Lin's office and, with perfect timing, placed her hands in the right position just in time to grab his hands, stepping into his dance as if the two had been dancing the entire time.

Lin's eyes shot open and he looked down at his coworker with shocked eyes. Neither stopped their steps and Mai just smiled up at the tall man. Finally Koujo relaxed and danced with her easily. Both felt it unnecessary to speak because words weren't needed.

Naru sighed and opened the door to his office when he froze in place at the sound of music. It was very unexpected and slowly the narcissistic man stepped into the cool room and shut the door behind him. The quiet man made his way over to his assistant's office and looked in. Much to his very surprise, Naru caught both his assistants dancing together. With the shake of his head and a ghost of a smirk, Naru knew his request for tea would be ignored. But that didn't stop him from asking for it anyway.

"Mai, tea."

**A/N: **I'm pretty surprised with this story. I haven't done a one-shot in ages since I started my other LinxMai story but I was on vacation when this was written and I figured I'd type it up and let you guys enjoy it while I continued to update. Well I seriously hope you guys enjoyed reading ^_^


	2. Pink

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt**

Lin told Mai he was heading back home because he had forgotten something in the apartment. She said that was fine and that she couldn't go back with him because she had far too much paperwork to do. Naru said that Lin going back was fine as long as he hurried, so the Chinese man did. It didn't take him long to get to the apartment and he quickly found what he was looking for. But then he realized he had to use the bathroom.

The black haired man stepped inside of the tiled room and was about to do his business when he noticed something in the trash. It was wrapped in toilet paper but seemed be too thin to be a feminine product. Cautiously the man reached down and took the thing out of the trash, setting it on the counter. As he was pulling it out, he noticed a second one, almost identical to the first, in the trash, wrapped up as well. He took it out just as cautiously and, trying not to touch the item too much, unwrapped it. His eyes bulged and he quickly unwrapped the second item. It held the exact same thing.

He grabbed the thing he was looking for and hurriedly left the apartment. His hands were shaking while he was driving and his focus on the road was wavering. Lin Koujo could only think one thing while he was headed back toward the office: Pink.

The door quickly flew open and was kicked shut. Mai jumped from her seat and Naru quickly looked out of his office door. Lin set his things down and hurried over to Mai. The girl looked bewildered and worried as her husband approached her. He stared at her for a few moments, almost no emotion on his face.

"Mai…" He said hoarsely and the woman placed a worried hand to his cheek.

"What is it, Koujo?" Mai asked. Naru was still watching, worried about his assistants but not showing it. Suddenly, not being able to take it anymore, Lin lifted Mai into the air and twirled her about, a smile gracing his face. He set her down soon after and she giggled. Then the Chinese man leaned down, taking her face in his hands, and kissed her hard. They heard the click of a door, knowing Naru had gone back into his office.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lin whispered to her and she got a confused look on her face. "Mai, I found the tests…"

"Oh!" Now Mai understood and she blushed and looked down. "Well I had just taken them this morning and I guess it was still sinking in for me…"

Koujo smiled brightly and kissed Mai deeply before turning to Naru's office. He opened the door and shut it softly behind him. Mai slowly gathered her things, noting the amount of paperwork still needing to be filled and smiled faintly. It was a few minutes later that Lin came out of the office. He walked over, picked her up along with her things and his own, and headed out to the car to go home and celebrate the news of the arriving family member.

**A/N:** So I had this stuck in my head and had to put it up. Sorry my readers about the major delay in A Boy's Shadow. I'm working on chapter nine and I'm four pages in, so keep rooting for me, I'm trying to make it a good chapter.


	3. A watched pot never boils

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt nor any characters in Ghost Hunt**

_A/N: This story was inspired but Kelly Clarkson's Song "Already Gone"_

I can remember when I came to the realization that I wanted to be with him. It was such an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach and I shudder at the memory. When the realization had hit me I already knew that there would be little that could change my mind and I just knew that not only would I come out heartbroken but _he_ would too. With a sigh, I lean myself back against the headboard with my book, allowing myself to daze off into memory.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

I walked into the office, feeling strange and out of it that morning. Something was not sitting right with me. It hadn't been for a few days but I couldn't pinpoint just what it was that had changed. I didn't want to come to work and I didn't really want to see anyone either, including my boyfriend. I thought maybe I was coming down with the flu or some sort of sickness. It seemed the only logical explanation. But in the back of my head, I knew that wasn't right.

"Mai, Tea!" I sighed as I stood up. Regardless of him being my boyfriend or not, Naru still treated me the same in the office. Out of the office he was quiet, a little less bossy, and a little sweeter. He still treated me pretty much the same but romance became included after the kiss we had shared that one evening at my door after a dinner date. I certainly couldn't complain though. My boyfriend was tall, dark, and handsome with a mysterious past and personality to boot. All of my friends were absolutely jealous when I told them. None of them could believe I had actually managed to get with him. To be honest, for a while, neither could I. But I got used to it over time.

I stared at the tea kettle as the water bubbles gently floated to the surface. The water wasn't even close to boiling and I felt like it had been ages since I had started it. I was too out of it and I probably could do with some time off but knowing my boss, that wasn't going to happen. Oh the problems that came with working for your boyfriend. But there certainly were perks, such as lunch being bought for me and dinner usually after work if it wasn't a busy day.

"A watched pot never boils, you know." A voice said from behind me, making me jump. Placing a heart over my chest I turned around to see Lin standing behind me smirking.

"You're going to give me a heart attack one of these days, Lin-san." I laughed and turned back to the pot in hopes that maybe it had started to boil. Then I saw Lin's arm reach across and flick the electric kettle on, glancing at me quizzically with concern on his face. I blushed and berated myself for not paying attention.

"You seem out of sorts today Taniyama-san. Is something the matter?" Butterflies gathered in my stomach and I started to pull out the tea cups and such, trying to busy myself while answering his question.

"I'm not sure. I just don't feel right. Something isn't sitting well with me but I really can't place what it is that is wrong." I stood on my tiptoes, wondering who put the tea cups so high and grasped one of the handles on them, pulling it down. "I just don't feel like being around anyone. Strangely I didn't even want to come to work today." I put the cups on a platter and turned to the older man. I leaned against the counter with a sigh.

"How long have you been feeling this way?" I appreciated his concern and gave a small smile at the fact. It was an endearing quality of his that took a while to show. He and I hadn't been the best of friends to start with but as time grew on we became great friends with each other and I felt comfortable talking with him about these things.

"I want to say a few days but I fear it is longer than that. Honestly, though, I just don't know." He nodded his head, his dark hair bobbing a bit with him. There was a comfortable silence as I waited for him to say something in reply. But the kettle went off and I flicked the on switch to off while removing the pot. I turned to the cups and poured the boiling water in there before placing a tea bag in them to let them steep. When that was done I turned back to the man.

"Once you give Naru his tea you can come talk to me some more, Taniyama-san." Lin placed a hand on my shoulder in comfort before giving a small smile and turning away to go back to his office.

"It's Mai, Lin-san." I called after him. I heard him chuckle and pause before shutting his office door.

"Seems a bit unequal wouldn't you say?" And the smirk he gave me not only gave me butterflies but made my stomach drop. As his door shut the only thing I could think was _"Oh no."_

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

I can remember the exact sensation of my stomach dropping and why. All of the reasons why I had been feeling wrong had just come to me. In that moment I had known what I had to do and even still, thinking about it makes me want to puke. What an awful feeling for anyone to have: a feeling of such a sickening realization. Realizing that everything I had worked so hard toward was going to be torn apart by no one other than me.

With a sigh at the memory I note that the sky is so beautiful tonight. I can see all of the lights that brightening the city, only made brighter by the darkness of the night. It was such a comforting yet lonely looking scene. All of these people awake and milling about but yet I am not. I am in bed, knowing I will need to go to work tomorrow.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

After giving Naru his tea, I stood outside of Lin's door, hesitating to knock. Did I really wish to talk? But I did have to give him his tea sometime. With a sigh and a gathering of my courage, I knocked on his door, entering when he bid me to come inside. I placed the tray on his desk, two cups of tea on it.

"Did you want to talk now?" He asked me quietly. I didn't meet his eyes as I nodded my head. With a concerned look toward me, Lin got up and shut his office door before sitting back down. He shut his laptop, giving me his full attention. "Have you figured out what is wrong?"

With tears starting to surface in my eyes, I nodded my head, making sure my bangs kept him from seeing. I felt two fingers lift my chin and I met his gaze. It was a worried look and when he saw the tears his worry only seemed to strengthen. He dropped his fingers and I dropped my gaze. Nothing was said for a while as I started sniffling.

"I….I need to…" My voice choked and I bit back a sob as the realization completely dawned on me. I felt his hand covering the one that sat on his desk. The older man gave it a comforting squeeze, waiting for me to continue. I took a deep breath and then tried to calm down.

"Lin-san….I need to break up with Naru." My words were whispered as I told him of my dread. But when I met his gaze, he didn't seem shocked but he did seem serious.

"Why is that?" His question tore at my insides. I really didn't want to answer him but I knew he asked not because he didn't know but because I needed to say it out loud.

"I don't love him anymore." I choked out my answer and saw him nod. His hand still covered my own.

"How are you so sure?" I couldn't meet his gaze. It was too strong for me.

"I love someone else." The answer was barely a whisper but I said it, knowing I needed to force myself to realize it. The answer had been there for a while but I never acknowledged it.

"When do you plan on letting him know you can't be with him?" I was infinitely grateful he did not ask who it was that I loved.

"I should tell him today, shouldn't I?" I got a nod in return. I stood up, pulling my hand from his grasp and dusted at my shorts. I met his gaze, forcing myself to be strong. With a deep breath I turned and left his office, not bothering to shut the door. Then I went into Naru's office, gently shutting his door behind me.

"What is it, Mai?" Naru's confused voice asked me. I shuddered, knowing what was going to come. I went and sat in the chair in front of his desk. When I met his gaze, his eyes widened in worry at the tears in my eyes.

"Naru…" I felt my strength wane and I gripped my hands together, squeezing them nervously. "I…I really don't know how to tell you this but…I….I don't love you anymore."

"I know." My gaze shot up to meet his. It was calm and collected. I was confused.

"I…I love someone else." I stammered out, unsure of what else to say. How did he know? How did he know before me?

"I know that as well." I continued to stare at him, bewildered at his response. "Well you've been pretty obvious about it." 

"Well I wish someone had let me know that before." I stated. That was when he looked confused. "I just found all this out for myself when I got to work."

"That doesn't surprise me really." His answer was flat as he gave me a deadpan look.

"Naru, I'm trying to be serious about this. I really had no idea until ten minutes ago. I feel awful." I was so confused and upset. Why wasn't he upset about all of this?

"Well you shouldn't. It's the nature of these things." When I gave him a quizzical look he sighed. "Love is fickle, Mai. It comes and it goes. You and I are young. We aren't people set in our ways yet." He paused and gave a chuckle. "Well, I am but you are not. You loved me and I you for the time we were able. It faded, as emotions tend to do, and became directed at someone else. We tried and while we did not fail, we did not succeed either."

I could only stare at him with my mouth agape. Who knew he was so eloquent? But I still didn't understand why he wasn't more upset? I was the one doing the breaking up. Wasn't it usually the recipient who cried, not the one giving it? But then again, Naru always was an enigma and his reactions weren't always expected.

"I…I don't understand. I thought you would be more upset and angry, yet you're so calm and reasonable." This was going quite the opposite of what I had expected.

"Mai, it has been obvious to a lot of people for a while now that we weren't working out. I was trying to keep us together but I knew that it wouldn't work so I let it take its natural course. Yes, I love you and I will admit to being sad to let you go but…" Naru stood from his desk and walked around to me. For the first time in a long time I saw emotion in his eyes. He placed his hand on mine and stooped to my eye level, "Mai, I love you enough to let you go."

Tears filled my eyes and spilled over my cheeks. I stood and wrapped my arms around his waist. I felt him encircle my shoulders with his arms and place a kiss on my head. It was such a comforting but god awful feeling. It felt like my heart breaking into two. Even while he didn't show it, I knew he was hurting inside. His words told me what his stoic demeanor could not. He would miss me, he loved me, and he was just as sad as I was.

"I'm sorry, Naru!" I sobbed out, feeling my tears soak his shirt. His hand soothingly stroked my hair as he whispered "It's okay" over and over to me. "I didn't mean to hurt you like this. I wanted us to be together but I…." a sob stopped my sentence and he continued to stroke my hair, holding me close to him. It was so cruel for me to allow him to continue holding me but I felt I couldn't stop. I knew that once I let go of him, we would never have the same closeness again. But I knew that what he was giving me in our relationship and what I wanted weren't the same two things. So while I may have craved his love right then, later on it wouldn't be enough. It would never be enough.

"Shh, Mai. It's okay." I could hear the pain behind his words and I removed my face from his chest and looked up at him to see his eyes watering as well. Leaning up on my tiptoes I gave him a kiss on the cheek and hugged him tightly.

"I love you." I whispered to him and listened as his breathing turned ragged. His hold on my tightened for a moment before he finally let me go. I stepped out of his embrace and looked in his eyes. His hand cupped my face as his thumb brushed a tear away. Then he leaned down and kissed my cheek.

"Thank you for letting me love you." He whispered and I choked down the sob that threatened to leave my mouth. While this display of emotion was so uncharacteristic for him, I knew he needed to let it out just like I did. I took a deep breath and he removed his hand from my cheek. I looked at him for a moment longer before turning to head out the door.

I opened his office door and shut it behind me silently. I looked up to see Lin looking at me. I knew he could tell I was about to break down so he stood up, moving away from his desk. I walked slowly into his office, shutting the door behind me. I looked down at my hands to see they were shaking. I felt numb inside.

"Mai…" Lin called out to me, finally using my first name. That was what broke the dam yet again and I ran to him, hugging his form as I sobbed loudly into his shirt. His arms quickly wrapped around my small body as I shook with sobs.

"It will be okay." He whispered to me. I felt my knees give out as I bawled louder at his words. Gently he eased me to the floor, continuing to hold me as I cried. For a long while the only sounds in his office were my sobs but they eventually died down into sniffles while I continued to cling to him. My eyes burned from all of the crying and I couldn't breathe through my nose but I felt a bit better.

"When I told him I didn't love him anymore, he said he already knew." I whispered out. I knew Lin was listening to me and I could feel him silently urging me on. "And when I told him I loved someone else, he told me he already knew that as well. He said it had been obvious to him but that…." I felt more sobs rising but I pushed on through them, clearing my throat to continue. "…that he loved me enough to let me go."

"I'm sorry." Lin whispered to me and I pulled back from him to grab a tissue from his desk and wipe my nose. I looked up at him to find him giving me a sympathetic smile.

"It's not your fault but thank you." I could feel my eyes starting to dry up from the crying so I closed them. Lin gently placed his hand on the side of my head and pushed me to cuddle his chest. He was so warm and his comfort was beyond inviting. I snuggled into his embrace, feeling so very tired from crying so much.

"Mai…" Lin paused and I could tell he was unsure of how to word his next statement. The way he said my name, though, without any suffix felt so intimate and right.

"Yes, Koujo?" I replied and I gave a smile at both the jump in the beating of his heart and the little gasp he let out as I said his first name with no suffix. I didn't look up at what I knew was his gaze on me and I only snuggled farther into his chest.

"Never mind." I felt his grasp on me tighten but I certainly didn't mind. I started to drift off to sleep when suddenly I felt him lean down and place a kiss on my head. My heart beat sped as his head moved a little lower and he paused, hesitating to say something.

"I love you." Were the three words he whispered into my ear. I gasped quietly and he placed a kiss to my temple.

"With all that just happened…" I paused and could practically hear his regret at saying those three words but I continued, "Is it bad if I say that I love you too?" Hi whole form relaxed at my words and he laughed a little but pulled my head back to meet my gaze.

"Probably but I certainly don't feel bad." I smiled up at him and he gave me a chaste kiss on my lips before holding my head to his chest again.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

With a yawn and a hand on my not-quite-yet-showing stomach, I look over at the man sleeping beside me. A little of his hair is draped across his cheek and it flutters in time with his steady breathing. His hand is splayed across his bare chest, the silver ring on his left finger glinting from the moonlight. It rises and falls with the steady rise and fall of his chest. Koujo, the man who I never expected to be with and whom I never expected to marry, looks so peaceful. And with a yawn I lie down and join him in his restful slumber.

-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

A/N: Well I finally added another piece to these drabbles. I know Naru was quite out of character for this story but I think getting broken up with justifies being a little odd, don't you? Well I really hope you liked this story. I just knew I had to have a back story for them getting together somewhere in there and I felt that this would make for quite a good story.


	4. Toenails

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or its characters**

**A/N:** I am still working on A Boy's Shadow, so don't worry, but I need to take a small break from that story so that my creativity for it isn't completely drained. I figured a quick, cute story would help me gather some more will and creativity to help finish the upcoming chapter of A Boy's Shadow.

The three women were sitting around sipping some tea while hanging in the lounge of the office. It was mildly warm so a fan was quietly blowing on them. Their lively chatter filled the office along with Lin's typing and the fan's breeze. Mai didn't feel like working much that day so she called the two other women over to hang out. Naru would have protested but he had never been pregnant, so he couldn't complain about her lack of motivation.

"So how are you coming along, Mai?" Masako asked the pregnant woman. Mai was seven months along and her stomach was large enough that the woman couldn't easily see her feet while standing up.

"Oh the pregnancy is going smoothly. No bumps in the road with this little one." The brunette caressed her stomach lovingly, a serene smile filling her face. Ayako and Masako couldn't help but be happy for her, so they smiled too.

"Did you find out the gender?" Ayako asked her younger friend, curious as to whom the new member of the Lin family would be.

"We decided to not find out. We have names prepared for either gender but I want it to be a surprise and Koujo didn't protest." She gave a happy sigh while sipping her tea.

"But what color are you going to paint the nursery?" Masako asked. She wasn't around too many pregnant women so she wasn't sure how Mai planned everything out and was just as curious as the older woman next to her, who nodded her head in agreement to the question.

"Brown and yellow. They are soft colors and the midwife told us that they will help soothe the baby since they will be darker at night and calming in the day. We can always paint it something else if we decide it doesn't fit but those colors are gender neutral, so it should be fine." Mai showed the women pictures of the room from her phone while they cooed at all of the little details. There was a cartoon giraffe painted above the crib and some giraffe dolls in the crib. Now that the two women looked closer, most of the things in there were giraffes.

"Why giraffes, Mai?" Ayako leaned back into the couch, giving the brunette a quizzical look.

"Matches the colors really well. But we will add more to it once the baby comes." She explained, putting her phone away.

"Well you seem excited and happy about everything." Masako giggled, sipping her tea afterward. The medium received a smile and nod from her coworker.

"Well, it's difficult to be sad when you have the best husband in the world." Mai said, loud enough that Lin's typing ceased for a moment as he smiled at her words. The two women both 'aww'ed at her statement.

"So what are some of the things he does to make it easier on you?" Ayako asked Mai.

"Well he cooks and helps me clean if I can't do something easily. He'll rub my feet if they are feeling sore. You know, a lot of good husband stuff. But that's not the best thing he does." Mai's look turned a little smug and mischievous and the women waited for her to continue. The brunette slipped off her shoes and propped her feet upon the table for the two women to look at. Both were confused.

"I don't know what I'm looking at, Mai." The red-head raised an eyebrow at her friend who laughed and wiggled her toes, drawing attention to them. The two women stared for a while longer at Mai's toes before Ayako stood up abruptly and walked over to Lin's office.

"I need you to teach the monk your ways." The older priestess said to the man in the office. Mai only laughed loudly upon hearing her husband reply with an awkward "Um…" but the priestess left him alone and came back to the couch. Masako still looked confused.

"I don't think I understand." The medium continued to look at Mai's toes.

"I can't reach my feet, Masako. My toenails are painted." Mai pointed out, smiling proudly. The medium's eyes went a little wide and she met Mai's eyes.

"You mean…he paints your toenails for you?" The dark haired woman exclaimed, to which the brunette nodded her head enthusiastically. "He does such a wonderful job on them! There is even a beautiful sakura flower on each of your big toes!"

"Well, like I said, it's difficult to be sad when you have the best husband in the world." Mai giggled, feeling smug at the two women who sat in awed jealousy across from her. And in his office, Lin couldn't help but feel pride upon hearing his wife brag about him to her close friends.


	5. Why Japanese?

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost hunt of its characters**

Mai laid against the bed, sighing with relief and exhaustion. Her body was completely covered in sweat, her muscles were very tired, and she could do with a bit of sleep. Her eyes were closed as she held her husband's hand loosely and her breathing was heavy but a smile sat upon her face. The brunette was not quite expecting to go through all of that, even though everyone told her it was going to happen. But she was glad to be past what she considered the hardest part.

"You did wonderful." Koujo planted a kiss to her temple and gave a gentle squeeze to her hand. They still didn't know the gender due to the fact that the baby was currently being washed off but Lin knew they would be told soon. They had two names ready; one for a girl and one for a boy. Yue would be the name if the baby was a girl and Kosuke if the baby was a boy.

"Congratulations! You have a healthy baby boy." The doctor handed Mai a bundled up baby and walked off to go wash his hands. Lin leaned in to see his new son and felt pride for both his wife and child swell in his heart. It was a sensation the man wasn't at all used to but he loved it none the less.

"He has your hair." Mai whispered while giggling. Kosuke had a fine layer of black hair on his head. His eyes were closed and his little hands were in tiny fists. He was still bright red from being born but his mother and father found him to be beautiful regardless. The new mother turned and gently handed the baby over to Lin who held Kosuke close to him.

The nurses came over and gave a cold rag to Mai who wiped the sweat from her face and neck. She thanked them and then turned to her husband with a now weak smile. Lin leaned down and gave a gentle kiss to his wife and she gave one back to him and one to their child. After that she leaned back and fell asleep while Lin watched their newborn.

-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-

"Alright, I called everyone and let them know that they can visit now that you've rested." The black haired man explained to his wife who was still sleepy but had woken up a while ago. The brunette smiled and then looked over at the hospital crib that the baby slept in. Her husband gently picked up the newborn and handed him over to his wife.

"Would you like our next child to have a Chinese name, Koujo?" Mai quietly asked while staring at her baby.

"I think that is a road we will cross when we get to it. For now we have a new addition, Kosuke, to worry about." Lin and Mai then sat looking at their new child while whispering quietly to each other. After a while there was a gentle knocking at the door and the tall man got up and answered it. The whole group was there to see his child. He asked that they keep their voices at a low volume and they agreed while walking into the room.

"Hey guys!" Mai's face lit up at seeing all of her friends. "This is Kosuke Lin." The brunette handed the baby to the closest person beside her bed who happened to be John. He seemed quite happy for the married couple and commented on how much hair the child had.

"There's going to be a lot of hair cuts in this kid's future." Monk laughed when John handed the baby to him. Takigawa cooed at the little baby and laughed when its face scrunched a little bit at the noise. Monk handed Kosuke to Masako who seemed a little hesitant to hold the baby but once she got the hang of it she too found herself cooing at the new child. The next one to hold the child was Ayako who commented that the baby had Mai's nose.

"I don't know about the nose but this kid certainly has Mai's eyes." Yasuhara said and everyone crowded around the child to see him open his eyes just a little, squinting at the bright light of the room. Kosuke's eyes were a nice brown color. While everyone was making cute faces at the now awake child, Naru was sitting next to Lin.

"Why Japanese?" Naru asked. The father knew just what he was asking about.

"Mai and I decided that if it were a girl it would be Chinese and if it were a boy it would be Japanese. She wanted a Japanese boy name in the family and a Chinese girl name in the family at least since there's already her Japanese name and my Chinese name. I liked the idea so I went along with it." Lin explained. Naru nodded in understanding.

"What would you have named the child if it were a girl?" While his voice didn't show it, the young SPR boss was quite curious and very happy for his assistants.

"We decided on Yue." Lin said. Naru would have asked more but Yasuhara came over and held out the baby to Naru who immediately said no. He didn't know how to hold a baby and wasn't exactly comfortable with the idea. But Lin took the child from the college student and then turned to Naru. "Hold your arms like mine are."

The boss of SPR would have protested but his assistant's voice held no room for arguments. So he did as Lin said and then the baby was placed in his arms. The poor man felt awkward and, strangely enough, unsure of himself. But he did his best to hide all of that and instead looked at the newborn whose eyes were now more accustomed to the light and were much more open. Naru could easily see traits from both of his assistant's in the child and felt happy for the both of them.

The blue eyed man stood up and walked over to Mai, leaning down and handing the baby to her. She smiled up at him, tears in her eyes. She felt so happy she could cry but the new mother tried to not. She didn't want to ruin the mood. But, when Naru patted her on the head and gave her a real smile, the tears slid down her cheeks as a smile filled her face. Everyone came over and comforted her but the brunette explained she was just so happy that it was overwhelming. Everyone stayed for a long while but it started to dwindle down and then it was just Lin, Naru, and Mai in the room with the newborn.

"I'm going to get some tea, would either of you like some?" Lin asked, standing and stretching a little bit. Naru said yes but Mai just asked for some water instead. The new father kissed his wife and son before leaving the room, leaving only Mai and her boss with her newborn in there.

"You'll make a good mother, Mai." Naru said quietly, taking the seat beside the bed to look at the child in his assistant's arms. She turned to him with a small smile and fresh tears in her eyes.

"You think so?" Her voice quivered a bit but Naru nodded his head.

"Yeah." The young man's voice was quiet. He felt a sting of jealousy at the happiness of his assistants but it didn't stay for too long. Mai looked back at her child, love in her eyes.

"I'm so happy, Naru." She whispered, her voice choked up. When the brunette met his eyes again, tears were just barely leaking out of her eyes and her bottom lip was quivering.

"I'm glad." Her boss replied quietly, knowing it was out of character for him to say something like that but feeling like Mai needed some form of reassurance. She nodded and then kissed her son on the forehead.

"Things ended up quite a bit different for me than I thought they would." The brunette quietly said while maintaining eye contact with her son. Naru felt the jealousy flare up again in him at the idea that, had things been different, she would have been holding a child that the two of them had conceived. It would have been him feeling the pride of being a father. And while the jealousy didn't diminish how happy he was for his assistants it did cause a sadness to come into his heart.

"Yes, they did." Naru quietly replied back. He didn't like remembering the day she broke up with him or remembering the absolute pure jealousy and minor hatred he felt for his long time assistant Lin for the first year of the two of them dating. They were emotions he wasn't used to and didn't particularly like.

"Thanks for hiring me, Naru. Without you, I'm not sure where I would be." Mai smiled at her close friend and boss but her eyes too held sadness for what could have been. As ecstatic as she was for her new child and for having a husband such as Lin, there would always be the very tiny little voice in her head talking about what could have been.

**A/N: **So this chapter ended up being much sadder than I thought it would be but I like it. Also, just so you all know, I am changing the summary of this story because I think these will just be short stories about the everyday life of Lin and Mai and will actually follow a timeline. I feel it's much easier and better this way. And, don't worry, another chapter to a boy's shadow should be out soon!


	6. Spoon

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or its characters**

"Koujo!" Mai called from the room of their crying infant. It had already been a month but she felt like she was going to lose her mind at the moment. The young woman hadn't had very much sleep and felt like one more scream from her newborn was going to be the straw that broke the camel's back. But a pair of feet calmly walked into the room and gently took the child from her arms.

Almost immediately the crying stopped and a glare presented itself on the brunette's face. She sighed and ran a hand through her already messed up hair. The poor woman was very stressed and unhappy at that very moment in time. Currently she was still on maternity leave and felt that she was going to lose her mind. Her husband, Lin, had arrived home barely ten minutes ago but he had been very patient with her and would help whenever he was needed.

"Why don't you take a nap, Mai? You've gotten less sleep then I have." She nodded and he gave a chaste kiss to her lips as she left the room to go take a nap on the bed. Since Lin was still working, Mai took care of the baby during the night so that he would get enough sleep for work. It was something that she had decided to do and no amount of protesting would stop her.

But the quiet man looked down at his child who was looking up at him with chocolate brown eyes, just like his mother. They were large, also like her eyes, and looked like they were curious about him. So Lin sat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room and cuddled his son close to him. The silence was a pleasant reprieve from the sounds the couple had been hearing lately. Unfortunately, Kosuke wasn't as quiet as his father.

"Why do you give your mother such a hard time?" Lin knew that the child couldn't understand the chastisement but it was given anyways. He knew that Mai was stressed and it looked like she was about ready to tear her hair out. A nap was most definitely something the woman needed, and badly.

Kosuke let out a noise, gathering Lin's attention again. The grey-eyed man gently rocked in the chair, hoping he would be able to get his son to sleep. But it didn't seem to work as the baby just stared up at him, curiosity and awe in his brown eyes. So the father got up from the chair and started walking around the apartment. He knew that in the future they would buy themselves a house but at the moment, Mai and him were content with a two bedroom apartment. It wasn't expensive on their salary, now that she was working more than part time, and it suited their needs.

Kosuke made a loud noise again, gathering his father's attention. But Lin placed a finger to the baby's tiny lips and shushed him. Immediately the black haired child went quiet as Lin pulled something out of a drawer from the kitchen. He headed back to the couch in the living room and set Kosuke in his lap before handing the baby a spoon. It was something that his mother had taught him. It was a shiny, smooth, and was safe for a baby to put in their mouth so it would entertain very young infants. And she was right.

His son put the spoon in his mouth almost immediately, a smile filling his face. Lin grimaced a little when a string of saliva followed the spoon as his son removed it from his mouth. The new father knew that babies were things that seemed to cover everything in their spit but it didn't mean he enjoyed it. Kosuke let out a giggle while looking at the spoon. Quickly it was shoved back into the child's mouth and he sucked on it, enjoying the strange texture and odd metallic taste.

"That is a spoon." Lin said and his son gave him a blank gaze. Of course the newborn had no idea what his father was saying but it made the baby coo and giggle before its concentration went back to the object in its hands. "It's made of metal."

A ringing filled the room and Lin quickly grabbed his cell phone and answered it, looking at the bedroom door with a bit of apprehension. When there was no sound or movement, a sigh of relief was given before he turned his attention back to whomever had called. In his haste, the normally organized man hadn't even thought to check the caller ID. He just didn't want his clearly exhausted wife to wake from her sleeping.

"Koujo," His mother's voice came out from the speaker "how are you and Mai? How's my favorite grandson, Kosuke?"

"Hey mom, we're fine. Mai is actually sleeping right now and Kosuke is in my lap sucking on a spoon." A giggle was heard as Kosuke pulled the spoon from his mouth upon hearing his name. His father gave a smile and placed a hand on the child's head.

"It sounds like he is enjoying it. I'm glad you took my advice about the spoon." His mother said before changing the topic. She talked about how she wanted to be able to see her grandson soon and hoped he would come for a visit. Lin offered to fly her to Japan instead so that he could continue work. The Chinese woman was hesitant to answer but finally she said yes to his idea, deciding it was much better for him to keep working and gathering money.

"When would be the best time for me to be there?" She asked and they decided that a month from then would be the best time. The two also decided that she would stay for a month. Lin knew his wife would love having someone else around the apartment helping with the baby. He warned her that Kosuke wasn't the best of sleepers but she said she would be fine with it and wanted to celebrate her grandson by visiting him.

The two talked on the phone for a long while and when they finally hung up, Lin looked down at his son to find that the child was asleep, the spoon having dropped from his fingers a long while ago. Carefully, so as not to jostle the sleeping baby, Lin stood up and headed to the nursery and put the sleeping infant in his crib. He flipped off the lights and headed to his own bedroom. He would take a shower in the morning. At that moment he just wanted to lie down with his sleeping wife.

"Did he get back to sleep?" Mai's voice asked, though it was slightly muffled due to her tiredly mumbling the question.

"Yeah, he did." Lin slid under the covers and pulled Mai into a spooning position, cuddling up against her back and holding her around the waist. "My mom called and in a month she is going to be flying over here. We decided that she would be staying for a month."

"That sounds nice." The brunette yawned and smiled. "It'll be nice to have another pair of hands around to help with Kosuke. Hopefully she doesn't mind a baby that never sleeps well throughout the night."

"She said she wouldn't mind and wanted to come and see him." Lin laughed, suddenly remembering Kosuke and the spoon. "I took her advice and gave Kosuke a spoon. It entertained him until he fell asleep."

"Hmm…" Mai was slipping back into unconsciousness and Lin could feel sleep coming on as well. "Maybe we should buy him a teething ring early."

"We'll see about it in the morning." That was the last the couple said before they fell asleep only to be inevitably woken by their son a few hours later.

**A/N: **Don't fret guys! I have a new chapter pretty close to done for A Boy's Shadow. I haven't forgotten about it, I promise!


	7. Grandma Meiling

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or its characters**

**PLEASE READ AUTHOR'S NOTE HERE: I tried researching Chinese honorifics, I really did, but they are beyond me. I also tried researching Japanese honorifics and couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. That is why, in this story, Lin's mother is greeted with Japanese honorifics by Mai, because I was beyond confused by the Chinese ones. If I used any of them incorrectly or you know the best one to use, please feel free to send a message or review my way. Thank you!**

"Welcome, mother." Lin opened the door to his apartment and let his mother walk in. She and Mai had met once before at the wedding but they hadn't seen each other since. His mother had taken a deep liking to the girl, like most people did, and she was excited to see her daughter-in-law, her son, and now her grandson.

"Meiling-sama!" Mai hurried out of one of the rooms and was carrying Kosuke in her arms. The baby was quiet and staring at his mom who wasn't paying attention to him. The brunette was hugging her mother-in-law with one arm and Lin shut the door as his wife led his mother to the couch.

"Is that Kosuke?" Meiling asked Mai. She nodded and handed her son over to the older woman. The black haired boy stared up at the black haired woman with wonder and Mai could only pray that he didn't start crying soon. Luckily, for her, the boy did not.

"I'm sorry if he wakes you during your stay here. He isn't a quiet child." Lin apologized and his mother laughed.

"He got the screaming from you, dear." Meiling looked to her son who cocked his head to the side just a little in confusion. "You screamed all the time when you were a baby. You had colic." She turned back to Mai who also looked a little confused. "Have you asked your doctor about it? Kosuke may have colic."

"You never told me I had colic. And I don't believe it is passed down genetically." Lin said, sitting on the other side of his mother.

"No, I don't believe it is either but he could still have it. Was his birth stressful?" The grandmother turned her eyes back to the boy in her arms. It was her first grandchild and she was thrilled about it. His eyes were a beautiful brown and she was glad he had gotten that trait. Mai's eyes were soft and Kosuke's would be as well.

"It took a long while because he was almost too big for me to handle." Mai tickled her son's foot and he smiled but continued to meet the eyes of his grandmother.

"Koujo was a difficult birth for me since his father is quite tall and I am very short." It was true. Meiling was about two inches shorter than Mai and Koujo's father was as tall as him. "The doctor told me that they were making a connection between babies who cried much more often than other babies and stressful births, so since my birth was a very stressful one, I should expect an extremely fussy baby. They were completely right."

"What did you do to calm him down?" Mai asked and Meiling shot her a smile, cuddling her grandson closer to her.

"I tried everything in the book to calm him down. I couldn't do it. Only his father seemed to calm him down." Meiling laughed when she caught her daughter-in-law scowling. "I'm assuming it is much the same over here?"

"Kosuke will scream for hours upon hours but the moment his father comes home, he is the most silent baby on earth. Drives me crazy." The brunette pouted at her child who just giggled at his mother's face. The three adults started laughing along with him.

"It must be the males of the Lin family. I'm sure when Kosuke has children it will be much the same for him." Meiling handed the child over to his mother and Mai laid him in her lap while continuing their conversation.

"I wonder if he will be short like us, now that the gene is even more present in him." Mai thought out loud and her mother-in-law shook her head with a smile.

"Most of the men in the Lin family have been tall. If he does grow to be short, it will certainly be quite different in the family tree. I'm a bit surprised he has brown eyes since grey eyes are dominate through my family line." Meiling said and Mai gave a full smile.

"Brown eyes are the most dominate gene in my family. He had to have some trait from me." She wiggled her son's nose and he protested but then smiled. The room was relaxed and Koujo and Mai were looking forward to the whole month. His mother would be a wonderful grandmother. It was too bad that his father couldn't be there but the man had suffered a heart attack and passed away six months ago. Mai hadn't been able to go to the funeral due to being pregnant but Lin went and the brunette had given her condolences.

"I'm sure you are hungry, mother. Would you like us to order some food?" Koujo asked and his mother said yes. Later in the evening, when everyone was settled in and ready to sleep, Kosuke started screaming. It was also the first night that Mai got to continue sleeping as Meiling got up and took care of her grandson, being able to ease his crying quickly and efficiently by just being there. Koujo laid in bed listening to the Chinese lullaby that his mother sang for his son and he knew he would have to have her visit more often.

**A/N: **Sorry for the late update on this story. I have been so focused on A Boy's Shadow that this went to the wayside. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this chapter and this most certainly won't be the last time you meet Meiling.


	8. Okaasan

**Author's Note: The wonderful user lechat23 informed me of how Mai would address Meiling and how Kosuke would address her (once he gets to the speaking age.) Mai will be calling Meiling "Okaasan" from now on as is per Chinese tradition and Kosuke will, in the future, call his grandmother Nai Nai, as is per Chinese tradition. **

**Edit: She is using the Japanese name for mother, not the Chinese one. I will keep it Japanese but I meant it following the tradition of the daughter in law calling the mother in law mother. I'm sorry for an inconsistencies this makes. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ghost Hunt or its characters**

Mai groaned; the last thing she needed was an ugly cold. Someone must have coughed on her at the store or something because no one else in the house or at SPR was sick. Luckily Meiling was still visiting and was making Mai rest. The young mother was wearing a small face mask to keep from getting Meiling, Koujo, or Kosuke sick.

"I've made some soup for you." Koujo's mother came into the bedroom and headed over to Mai with a bowl of soup and a spoon, placing them on the bedside table beside the glass of water that was already there.

"Thank you, Okaasan." The brunette rasped out from her sore throat, though it sounded a bit muffled due to the face mask. Meiling smiled before leaving the room to tend to the now crying Kosuke. While Koujo was home, he would help out with their baby but since he was at work, Meiling took over that while Mai was sick.

The sick mother reached for the soup and spoon, excited to have an appetite again since yesterday she slept most of the day and didn't feel like eating while she was awake. Mai removed the mask from her face and spooned some of the soup into her mouth; humming happily from the soothing sensation its heat provided her throat. It took no time at all for her to finish it and she replaced the mask while scooting off the bed to put the dishes in the kitchen sink.

"You should be back in bed." Mai jumped, not realizing that her mother-in-law was behind her. She smiled when Meiling gently pushed her away from the sink and took over cleaning the dishes.

"I don't mind." Mai said, her voice less raspy since eating the soup. "You've done so much for me while I've been sick that cleaning a few dishes seemed like no big deal."

"It's not a bother to me." Meiling was rinsing off the spoon and flashed her daughter-in-law a smile. "It's been so long since I've gotten to take on a motherly role. It feels nice to take care of someone again."

"Thank you." Mai reached over and placed her hand on Meiling's, giving a grateful smile. "It feels nice to have an Okaasan again."


End file.
